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Australia Movie Pirate Goes to Jail |
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A man who was selling pirated DVDs in Australia is now serving six months in jail.
Mr. Bilal Tahan pleaded guilty to six Trademark violations and two Copyright violations for selling pirated DVDs in June 2006 from his car. The offenses took place in Parramatta, Australia. The pirated DVDs the man was selling included “The DaVinci Code,” “The Lake House,” and “Over the Hedge”. He was caught with 222 copies of the movies, which were showing in Australian movie theaters at the time.
“The law protects these types of commercial interests”, said Magistrate Fleming in passing sentence at the Parramatta Magistrates Court in New South Wales. “There is a need to send a general message of deterrence to the community. I have no option but to impose a custodial sentence.”
This wasn’t Tahan’s first conviction. He was also convicted in 2005 to counterfeit crimes. About $6 billion is lost annually from motion picture companies due to piracy.
"This significant decision by the Paramatta Magistrates Court sends a clear signal to pirates in Australia that there is a heavy price to pay for this crime. We are pleased to know that the law is taking a tougher stance, especially repeat offenders who should know better" said Mike Ellis, Senior Vice President and Regional Director, Asia-Pacific for the Motion Picture Association. "We will continue to support every effort by the Australian authorities to deter piracy at every level."
